Event Official at New Jersey School Ski Race Arrested for Theft of Thousands of Dollars Worth of Skis

A full ski rack on a busy day at a New Jersey resort has tens of thousands of dollars worth of value, skiers simply hope and trust in the good faith of others to not take their precious equipment. This good faith was betrayed on February 11, 2026 at Mount Peter Ski Area when at least seven skis and poles worth between $4,000-7,000 were stolen amidst a school ski race, according to the Warwick Police Department. 

Many schools and their athletes were competing that evening in a race hosted by the New Jersey Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (NJISRA) when numerous racers—not coincidentally—lost track of their individually mounted and specially tuned skis. The Warwick Police Department arrived at the resort shortly before 8 p.m. in response to this report of many missing and supposedly stolen skis. The police and their detectives immediately began work in collaboration with patrol and mountain operations to find their perpetrator. 

Throughout the following week, sifting through video surveillance footage rapidly supplied by the mountain along with witness interviews, Warwick PD identified their suspect. On Tuesday, February 17, Kevin R. Malkin of Hopatcong, New Jersey was arrested by Warwick PD. Malkin is charged with Grand Larceny of the Third Degree (theft between $3,000-50,000), a Class D Felony under New York State Law.

Malkin was working as an event official—ensuring that the race ran smoothly and fairly—but was not an employee of Mount Peter. He has a long history in skiing, where he competed as a youth and then went on to coach a variety of teams located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 season, he was even the Vice President of the same organization that represented this event, the NJISRA. Currently, he is the owner of the Arc Ski Racing camp in Hopatcong, New Jersey. While the initial report stated he was a representative of Atomic Skis, the company has since clarified saying he is simply one of the many in their pro form, receiving discounted skis for those working in the industry. 

Local shops in the area have reached out in support of those who lost their equipment, according to Tapinto. Both the Ski Barn in New Jersey and Orange County Snowboards, Ski, and Bike shop in Goshen, NY have stated they will offer special deals for all the students impacted by this theft, in hopes to have them pushing out of the start gate again ASAP.

Malkin has been arrested, but is not yet convicted of this crime. He has since been released on bail in accordance with New York State Law and will receive a fair trial before a verdict is set. Anyone who has been impacted by this crime or has further information, is urged to contact the Warwick Police Department at (845) 986-3423.